This invention relates to feed composition for ruminants, and particularly to roughage-free diets for such animals.
Ruminant animals are classified as herbivores, meaning they can survive and produce while feeding chiefly on grass or other roughage feed ingredients consisting of large amounts of cellulose. Beef cattle are classified as ruminants. Those maintained for reproductive purposes normally live on ingested forage consisting of large amounts of cellulose and are supplemented with additional protein, energy, minerals and vitamins when nutrients in forages do not meet nutritional needs of the reproducing animals. However, the offspring from these cattle which are being produced for slaughter will normally be placed in a confined feeding facility (feedlot) at 7-15 months of age, and fed growing diets consisting of 30-60% roughage and/or finishing diets consisting of only 5-15% roughage, the roughage will normally be in the form of hay, silage, fodder, corn cobs, cottonseed hulls, etc. The remainder of the diet will consist of a high energy grain source such as corn, grain sorghum, barley, wheat, etc., and properly balanced for protein, minerals and vitamins.
Including 5-15% roughage in the diet of finishing cattle tends to lessen the variation in feed intake, to reduce the amount of feed cattle will normally consume at each feeding, and to increase the number of feedings each day compared to cattle receiving feed containing no roughage. In addition, roughage in high grain diets stimulates the flow of saliva, which helps buffer the acids produced during fermentation, intake and reduces the concentration of energy in the diet. When attempts are made to feed ruminants diets containing no roughage, animal performance is reduced and metabolic problems normally occur. Feed intake of cattle receiving roughage diets becomes very erratic, and the amount of buffering capability through salivation is reduced which leads to rumen malfunction problems. Normally cattle will tend to consume more of the no roughage diet at each feeding and reduce the number of feedings each day. This erratic intake of all grain (no roughage) diets, even though properly balanced for protein and minerals, will result in starch overload. When this occurs, conditions in the rumen favor the proliferation of gram-positive microbes whose end product of fermentation is L- and D-lactic acid. The rumen pH can fall to 4.0, destroying the protozoa, cellulolytic digesting organisms and lactate-utilizing organisms. Other potential problems which can result are bloat, founder, abscessed liver, kidney lesions, rumen parakaratosis, abomasal ulcers and death.